The government decided on 271 "priority" projects, worth more than HUF 500 billion combined, to be the recipients of European Union and state development funds during the 2007-2013 EU budgetary period. Among the priority projects are a number of cultural ones.
Carrying developments out in the Budavár Palace will cost HUF 22-23 billion. Development funding will cover HUF 10bn of the cost, with 85pc of this coming from the EU and the rest from the state. The remaining HUF 12-13 billion necessary for the project is expected to come from private sources. The project must be completed by 2010.
The project includes renovating the buildings in the palace complex and giving the area around them a new look. New infrastructure will also be built, according to the Government Spokesman?s Office.
László Baán, director of Budapest?s Museum of Fine Arts, said following the meeting that the museum would receive HUF 3.6 billion in support to build an underground addition. The new multi-purpose wing will also function as a main entrance. It will expand the museum?s area by 40,000 square metres.
The addition, dubbed the Heroes? Square Visitors and Tourist Centre, will house the museum?s ticket counters, a café, a restaurant, a museum store, a children?s area and a space for temporary exhibitions.
The Ferenc Liszt Music Academy will enjoy HUF 10 billion in support from the state for the renovation of its building, which is more than a hundred years old. The goal of the project is to give the school a bigger presence in international circles.
The Open Air Folklore Museum in Szentendre will get a new section showing a village in North Hungary, and the Central Plain section of the museum will be expanded to include a model railway. An open workshop will also be set up to give visitors a better understanding of how the museum works.
